Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-14

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

In many countries, primary and secondary schools close for two months or more in the summer holidays.

What is the value of long school holidays?

What are the arguments in favour of shorter school holidays?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 6.5)

Elementary and high schools give summer holidays to students for two months or more in most countries. The main reason would be the unbearable summer heat, which might endanger kids. However, schools could shorten their holidays to cover only the peak summer months.

The two months off from school have its own importance. Children would go to visit their cousins or maybe some northern areas. In Pakistan, many kids would either go to their aunts' or uncles' homes. Some of the kids would go to Muree or Naran, as the weather there would be a bit cooler. The children wait for these two months to go out and have fun. They plan for their summer holidays, and for that, one cannot undermine the significance of these long vacations. The long holidays help them in many ways. For instance, it refreshes them after a long year, it gives them a chance to travel to different cities, and it gives many students a chance to study.

The shorter summer break can help students retain their focus. Many students often feel rusty when they come back after long holidays. They would spend many days reminiscing about the vacation, which is not wrong, but it makes them lose their focus. The short vacation can help students get into the study zone rather quickly than a long vacation.

In conclusion, the two or more months off let children enjoy their vacation through traveling and meeting their family members. The short vacation would help children dive into studies more quickly.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both questions and maintain a clear overall view: long breaks allow family visits, travel and rest, while shorter breaks may help students return to learning more quickly. The Pakistan examples, including visits to relatives and trips to Murree or Naran, make the value of holidays concrete. However, the two sides are not developed equally. The benefits of long holidays receive several examples, whereas the case for shorter holidays rests mainly on students feeling “rusty” and losing focus. The opening claim that heat is the main reason for long holidays is also not connected clearly to the later discussion. Explain more fully how shorter breaks benefit learning, and support the points with a specific example or consequence.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, a paragraph on the value of long holidays, a paragraph supporting shorter breaks, and a conclusion. The progression from family travel and rest to students’ return to study is easy to follow, and phrases such as “For instance” help signal examples. This meets the lower-band expectation of coherent organisation and shows some effective linking. To make the progression more consistently smooth, reduce repeated references to “long holidays” and “short vacation,” and use clearer links between related points. For example, the opening mentions summer heat, but the next paragraph moves directly to family visits without explaining how the heat relates to the value or timing of the break. A more explicit transition would strengthen the connection between ideas.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range to discuss holidays and education, including “unbearable summer heat,” “retain their focus,” “reminiscing,” and “significance.” The place names and family-visit examples also make the vocabulary relevant and specific. Some less common choices are not fully natural or precise: “it refreshes them” does not agree in meaning with the plural “holidays,” and “dive into studies” is informal for this essay. Repetition of “children,” “students,” and “holidays” also limits flexibility. Aim for more precise academic collocations and vary the terms used for learners and breaks. These refinements would make the vocabulary more controlled while preserving the clear meaning of your ideas.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex forms, and several sentences are controlled, such as “Many students often feel rusty when they come back after long holidays.” The conditional construction “The short vacation can help students get into the study zone rather quickly than a long vacation” also shows an attempt to express comparison and consequence. Some grammatical errors remain. In “The two months off from school have its own importance,” the subject and possessive reference do not agree; “it refreshes them” similarly conflicts with the plural subject “long holidays.” The sentence beginning “For instance” joins several clauses with commas, so separating the examples or using parallel structure would improve punctuation and clarity. Review agreement and sentence boundaries while retaining your range of structures.

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